credit ratings agency fitch calls the fiscal cliff the biggest concern for state credit in 2013. saying, "any meaningful federal deficit reduction is likely to lower state funding, forcing program elimination or backfilling." as the tax hikes and spending cuts approach, u.s. manufacturers saw business shrink last month. the institute of supply management's purchasing managers index fell unexpectedly to 49.5, down from 51.7 in october. a reading below 50 means business has fallen back into contraction. the november statistic is the lowest since july 2009. the dow fell 60, the nasdaq down eight, the s&p 500 lost six. >> susie: jeff saut says investors seem to be ignoring bad news, and this is a bullish sign. he's managing director and chief investment strategist at raymond james. so jeff, not only are you bullish but you're also calling for a pretty decent santa claus rally. tell us why? >> well, i have learned over the 42 years in this business, susie, that it's pretty tough to put stocks to the downside in the ebullient month of december. i mean it's happened but it's a pretty ra